Predatory Dinosaurs

Tyrannosaurus rex

Probably the most famous predator of all: up to 13 metres long, with a massive skull and banana-sized teeth. It lived at the end of the Cretaceous in what is now North America.

💡 Did you know? Despite its huge body, its arms were tiny: barely longer than a human arm.

Velociraptor

A small, agile hunter with a sickle-shaped claw on each hind foot. In reality it was only about the size of a turkey and wore feathers.

💡 Did you know? The ‘raptors’ in Jurassic Park are shown far too large and without feathers.

Spinosaurus

A colossal predator with a sail of back spines and a crocodile-like snout. It lived partly in water and hunted fish.

💡 Did you know? It was probably even longer than Tyrannosaurus rex.

Allosaurus

The top predator of the Jurassic, smaller than the later T. rex but very agile, with strong arms and three claws on each hand.

💡 Did you know? It had small horns above its eyes: probably for display, not for fighting.

Dilophosaurus

A slender predator of the Early Jurassic, recognisable by the two thin bony crests on its head.

💡 Did you know? In Jurassic Park it spits venom and has a neck frill: both are pure invention.

Carnotaurus

A predator with two horns above its eyes: hence the name ‘meat-eating bull’. Its arms were even tinier than those of T. rex.

💡 Did you know? It was probably one of the fastest large predators of all.